Good Material for galley counter and icebox lining

[RayandMindi]

Hi, my husband and I are in the middle of a complete refitting for our Bristol 24. We thought that copper might be a good, durable material to put down for our countertop, as well as line the icebox. We have absolutely no working knowledge of how copper behaves with salt water. If anyone could give us some insight, we would greatly appreciate it, as well as some other ideas for what might be a cheaper, yet equally durable material that can be easily cleaned, and used with both hot and cold surfaces for the icebox. We thought stainless steel might be a good route to go, but it's difficult to get a hold of, and also expensive. We may just do tile countertops, but are still left with the issue of lining the icebox. Thanks!

[Shrew]

Buy a piece of copper and leave it in the galley for a while to see what will occur. My assumption is it will turn green like the bronze fittings.

[RayandMindi]

That is our thought as well, we don't have the boat in the water yet, so we're not really able to do any experimenting with regard to how it will react in the boat. Neither of us mind that the copper will patina, the were unsure as to how quickly this would happen, and whether it would have any impact on food or water storage issues. Knowing that a good bit of homes on land use copper fittings for their water, we assumed it wouldn't be any issue. If you were refitting a boat, is there any material you would recommend for a countertop or for lining an ice box?

[UNCIVILIZED]

Long ago a friend steered me away from using copper for this due to the corrosion issues. And you also have to think about what it tastes like if you lick a piece of copper. YUCK! Which, I can't say for certain that that taste would get into the food, but... I'd rather not risk it. And I'm also thinking that copper would react to a lot of the acids, & alkaline agents found in foods. Such as their juices. For example, think of how corrosive tomatos are. Or citrus fruits. That said, this reactivity is a guess on my part. But I'm not sure I'd want to knead bread on such a counter.

Stainless gets used in all kinds of things in the professional cooking arena. From stove tops & flashings, to utensils, & in constructing entire food prep stations. It's easy to keep clean, & holds up well. Unlike copper, which dents pretty easily.

For anything other than putting pots right off of the stove onto, varnished wood works fairly well. And epoxy coatings aren't bad either. Which, wood's a cheap, durable option. Plus it's easy to shape, & build things with it. You can even build your own custom laminates from it, or do the same by gluing various patterns of hardwoods on top of quality plywood, & then sealing it up well. And or inlaying tile into or on top of it.

Some folks may bring up Corian for this application. Just note that it needs lots of support underneath, as it's prone to cracking. And when you use it at home, there's little enough chance of a person being thrown into it by a wave. Just my $0.02

Edit: If you've ever had any copper jewelry, think about how rapidly it corrodes. Especially in relation to some other metals. Also, my wooden cutting board has a couple of scorch marks on it, but aside from that it hasn't much suffered from having stupidly hot pans place on it. Which I'm sure you've done similar at home.

When building fiddles into the edges of counters, remember to leave small cutouts (ports) for sweeping the crumbs off of them when cleaning up. Plus, if after time you find that your fiddles are too tall, they can be shortened. Going the other direction isn't nearly as easy.

[Shrew]

The traditional reason doorknobs, faucets and pushplates are brass is because of their antibiotic nature. It is my understanding it is the copper in the brass which has these inherent properties.

[jimbunyard]

Copper is likely more expensive than stainless, plus all the other reasons given above. Check Craigslist under materials, don't know where you're located, but right now there are two 4'x10' pieces of #3 finish stainless in New Orleans for 125.00 each, or 200 for both...

[Sea Dreaming]

Edit: If you've ever had any copper jewelry, think about how rapidly it corrodes. Especially in relation to some other metals. Also, my wooden cutting board has a couple of scorch marks on it, but aside from that it hasn't much suffered from having stupidly hot pans place on it. Which I'm sure you've done similar at home.

We use a silicone mat on our counters. Takes all the heat from stupid hot stuff and keeps stuff from sliding around. Ours is a silicone dish drain mat with high profile lugs on one side and smooth on the other. We turn it over depending on the need of the moment. Under 20 bucks and one of the best purchases we have made!

I would use stainless inside the fridge bease its juse easier to care for. Make sure seams are "rolled". They are easier to clean.

But on your counters, the dents and bumps add to the charm. Copper for counters can also be sealed to prevent corrosion and patina. But I don't think that's necessary. The best thing is to just wipe the counter with fresh water and dry it off. Honestly, it's just a habit to develop. I could weep for all the stuff that has suffered on our boat due to bad habits and laziness.

[landsend]

Copper is obscenely expensive! Get a price on a sheet of copper and you will be surprised at the cost. Does look beautiful though.

[Suijin]

I know a bunch of folks who have put in Corian counter tops in their galleys and they are all very satisfied with them. Can be fabricated in virtually any configuration, is low maintenance, easy to clean, comes in lots of colors/textures, etc. It does need to be supported adequately but galley counters in boats are so small that this is not an issue. Never heard of it cracking because of someone falling against it. The one drawback is that it will scratch if abused but it can be easily resurfaced with a compound.

Another plus is that it's easy to make counter-top fridge/freezer lids/doors with.

For the inside your fridge I would line it with fiberglass panels. Easy to clean, easy to see inside (light colored), easy to seal the edges, won't dent, etc.

[SV DestinyAscen]

If you're not concerned about weight - DuPont Corian will be a forgiving surface to have for countertops. If you're practical, steel isolated properly will be good.

Copper is a lousy surface for countertops. You'll regret it the moment you dent/pierce it hitting a pot a little hard. Plus it corrodes into all kinds of ugly.

Copper is also a bad material for lining refrigeration. It isn't a good insulator.

[UNCIVILIZED]

A couple of tips for optimizing the working space in your galley. You can add extra counter space, including for resting a large basin on to act as your 2nd sink fairly easily. You simply build a large folding shelf onto the end of your galley cabinetry. Lifting it up, & locking it in place like the leaf of a folding table when needed. Which, such extra counter space generally protrudes a bit into the walkway that leads from one's companionway steps through the center of the saloon.

The other option is to build a recessed sink. And to recess it just enough so that the (custom) cutting board cover for it fits flush with the tops of the rest of your galley. Thus you get a seamless work space that converts to a sink once the meal's over, & then back again.

[Cheechako]

Copper will be more expensive than Stainless. You don't need super durable for the icebox. There are various plastic materials available, That would be my choice. I have used white plastic laminate countertop material to line iceboxes before when constructing them. It's not the easiest to cut without cracking though. What's lining your icebox now? are you rebuilding it entirely? More info...
I liked the tile countertops I have had in boats , but tile is heavy. Anything like cutting board wood is nice. How much area do you have to do on a 24 ft boat?
There are a bunch of materials like Corian out there now. Corian is said to be brittle. Years ago I was considering using it on one boat and the sales guy advised me specifically not to use it.
There are issues with rebuilding counters, a picture would help a lot for us to help you foresee those with specific materials.

[fSymo]

2 cents: Adding a giant plate of highly electrically conductive material near a mast is just asking for trouble. Use stainless, it would be cheaper, far more durable, and less conductive.

The thought of a lightning strike unnerves me a bit... but I haven't been hit, and I'm a noob, etc. I just think reducing the amount of metal in any vessel (in the cabin at least), is a good idea.

[keepondancin]

Corian makes a nice counter top. I replaced the counters in the heads with Corian. I imagine your Bristol is like mine with high wood fiddles. They can be removed, and a template made of the counter, make it a perfect fit, then used as a guide to router the Corian to shape. biggest problem with working with Corian, it is like you are in a snow storm when cutting or routing. It builds up a static charge, and hilariously sticks to you. Takes 15 minutes to cut and two hours to clean up. If used, you can cut the rabbet groove on the fiddle a little deeper to allow for the thickness of the Corian. You could adhere the Corian right over the formica on the galley counter. I have done copper counters in a guest house for someone, and I found it hard to get a good bond when gluing it down, and it had a tendency to buckle and lift. You can find odd pieces of Corian on line for decent prices.

[J Clark H356]

I would not recommend copper for either of these uses. It oxidizes and that alone would be enough for me to rule it out. Corian is on our 2003 Hunter 356 and has been Hunter's primary countertop material for years. You should use materials that are commonly used. They are because of durability and sanitation reasons. There is a reason you don't see copper countertops and copper interiors in refrigerators and freezers. It's just not a practical material for those functions. Another similar but a little more expensive countertop is Quartz. It is heavy, but has 99.9% impermeability and can take some degree of hot materials. Much more sanitary than marble and more durable than Corian. Stainless is used in every commercial kitchen and is an excellent material if you want a metal look. Butcher block is another good material but it has "tooth" that will require sanitizing regularly. Your countertops on a boat are so small cost is not going to vary that much between options.